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Visual Effects

First a disclaimer. I have not seen the movie Deadpool and probably won’t. That doesn’t mean that I can’t be impressed with the VFX in the film. Take a look at the VFX breakdown below and you’ll understand why. There is so much computer graphics, and post work going on that it makes you ask, is this a live action movie, or an animation featuring some live characters in the scenes? The movie might have been bad (this is what my friends have told me so don’t get mad at me), but the VFX are pretty damn spectacular.

“Deadpool” marks the beginning of a new era for superhero films, and one sequence in particular was key to setting the tone. This is an in-depth VFX breakdown reel showcasing the behind-the-scenes efforts by the Atomic Fiction team. The work involved creating computer generated characters, vehicles, and an entire urban environment, for the thrilling car chase that kicks off this new franchise!

Special thanks to Tim Miller, Jonathan Rothbart, our friends at Blur, and 20th Century Fox for the opportunity to contribute to these sequences.

By now most people have seen or read about the ads that were featured on Super Bowl Sunday. While there wasn’t anything all that mind blowing, there were some spots that really entertained, one of them being the Mercedes-Benz Tortoise and Hare “Fable” commercial for the AMG GTS.

Both the commercial and the making of are below. It’s the making of/behind the scenes video that interests me. When I first saw the spot, I thought the entire piece was CG. I had no idea that there was any live footage blended in. Since all the animals are CG I simply figured the car and the environment were digitally created as well. I was wrong. When you watch the behind the scenes video, you see just how much actual footage was blended in with the digital components, and its really pretty impressive. Director Robert Stromberg and his crew did a masterful job of creating a visually stunning spot for Mercedes-Benz.

Whether you liked the latest version of The Great Gatsby or not, you have to admit it was a visual feast. The amount of visual effects, color grading and post work that went into creating the final movie was an absolutely gigantic undertaking. Chris Godfrey, the VFX supervisor on the film released a before and after reel of a number of the VFX shots from the film that show the sheer amount of post production that goes into a Hollywood movie like this. 7 different post houses worked on the final look of this film. Massive hat tip to the people at Animal Logic, Rising Sun, Iloura, ILM , Prime Focus and Method.

This is a fantastic short film from Factory Fifteen and Jellyfish Pictures. The storyline is solid, the quality of the cinematography and special effects are absolutely top notch. There are multiple themes presented in this 20 minute film, all of which are supported by moving performances by Daniel Kaluuya, Malachi Kirby and Louis Mahoney.

The film has plenty of visual effects that enhance rather than detract from the main story line. greed, pride and loss are rendered through the story as the small town the film takes place in blossoms into a tourist destination over time. Jonah is a big fish story about the old and the new, the links and the distances between them. It is a visual feast, shot though with humor and warmth, Jonah tells an old story in a completely new way.

Directed by Kibwe Tavares
Written by Jack Thorne
Produced by Ivana MacKinnon

“Bitcoin” is changing the way we think of currency in the 21st century. The idea can be rather challenging to to explain, let alone animate or design visuals for. This Vimeo short directed, designed and animated by Duncan Elms does a fantastic job of breaking down what bitcoin is and how it works. Elms uses sophisticated visual elements, type treatments and visual effects to explain what it is, how it works, and what it means for the future. The video short is captivating and holds your attention. The script, written and narrated by Marc Fennell never speaks over your head and compliments the visuals so well. If you are un familiar with Bitcoin and how it works, or if you just want to see a great animated explanation, watch the video below.

the video below is one of a series of short animated films created by Kyra Buschor, Anna Habermehl, and Constantin Paeplow, that won “Outstanding Visual Effects in a Student Project”, at the Visual Effects Society Awards. There are 4 of these short films that can be watched here, along with a complete break down of character development and story development. Each video is fairly short, so do yourself a favor and take the time to watch all of them.

Callum Cooper has produced a deceptively simple video for New London / Melbourne apparel maker Klezinski. I say “Deceptively Simple”, because while this looks like it would be easy to do, I can tell you it is very complex and requires great skill at both shooting and editing.

This film is a creative collaboration between film-maker Callum Cooper, sound artist John Kassab and Klezinski. Full Circle is a showcase of hand-crafted fashion pieces from its initial range.

If you get a chance, go to Cooper’s site and check out some of his other work. You might also get an idea of how they made this film.